Waite Hoyt (1969)
Date of Birth: 9/9/1899
Date of Death: 8/25/1984
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Waite Hoyt pitched in the major leagues for seven teams over a period of 21 years.
New York Giants
Hoyt was signed by the New York Giants at the very young age of 15, but he didn't make his first start until age 18 in 1918. His initial years were spent in the minors for the Giants. After just one game with the Giants in 1918, Hoyt was sent back to the minors. He was traded to the International League on January 2, 1919.
Boston Red Sox
Hoyt's contract was sent to the Boston Red Sox from the Southern Association in September, 1919. In his first season with the Red Sox, he pitched 105.1 innings in 13 games and he had a 4-6 win-loss record and a 3.25 ERA. The following season he had a 4.38 ERA in 22 games. He finished the 1920 season with 6 wins and 6 losses and 45 strikeouts to 47 walks in 121.1 innings.
New York Yankees
Hoyt was traded to the New York Yankees on December 15, 1920. In 1921, he had career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts. He finished the season with 19 wins and 13 losses, 102 strikeouts to 81 walks, and a 3.09 ERA in 282.1 innings in 43 games.
Hoyt had another good season in 1922, again winning 19 games and losing 12. He had a 3.43 ERA in 265.0 innings in 37 games. His ERA dropped to 3.02 the following season, when he had 17 wins and 9 losses in 238.2 innings in 37 games. He struck out 60 batters and walked 66 in 1923.
Hoyt had career highs in games played in 1924. He was a starting pitcher in 32 games and a reliever in 14 games. He finished the season with an 18-13 win-loss record, 4 saves, 71 strikeouts to 76 walks, and a 3.79 ERA in 247.0 innings. He again pitched in 46 games in 1925, this time 30 as a starting pitcher and 16 in relief. He had a 4.00 ERA with 11 wins and 14 losses, 6 saves, and 86 strikeouts to 78 walks.
Hoyt continued to pitch both as a starter (28 games) and a reliever (12 games) in 1926. He finished the season with 16 wins and 12 losses, 4 saves, 79 strikeouts to 62 walks, and a 3.85 ERA in 217.2 innings.
In 1927, Hoyt led the AL in wins and he had a career low ERA of 2.63. He pitched 256.1 innings in 36 games and he had 22 wins and 7 losses and 86 strikeouts to 54 walks. The next season he had a career high in wins with 23 (to just 7 losses). He finished the 1928 season with 8 saves, 67 strikeouts to 60 walks, and a 3.36 ERA in 31 games as a starting pitcher and 11 games as a relief pitcher.
Hoyt pitched in 30 games in 1929, his last season with the Yankees. He had a 10-9 win-loss record and a 4.24 ERA in 201.2 innings.
Detroit Tigers
Hoyt was traded to the Detroit Tigers on May 30, 1930. He had a 4.71 ERA in 8 games with the Yankees and 26 games with the Tigers. He finished the 1930 season with 11 wins and 10 losses and 4 saves. He had control issues, walking 56 batters while striking out just 35 batters.
Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics claimed Hoyt off waivers on July 3, 1931. He finished that season with 13 wins and 13 losses, 40 strikeouts to 69 walks, and a 4.97 ERA in 16 games with the Tigers and 16 games with the Athletics.
Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants
The Athletics released Hoyt on February 18, 1932. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers on February 27th, and released by them on June 7th. He then signed with the Giants on June 23rd. He had a 4.35 ERA, with 6 wins and 10 losses in 8 games with the Dodgers and 18 games with the Giants.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Giants released Hoyt on November 29, 1932. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 21, 1933. In his first season with the Pirates, he pitched primarily in relief. He had 5 wins and 7 losses, 4 saves, and a 2.92 ERA in 8 games as a starter and 28 games in relief.
Hoyt continued as both a starter and reliever for the Pirates in 1934, 1935, and 1936. He had 15 wins and 6 losses, 5 saves, and a 2.93 ERA in 1934, when he started 15 games and pitched in relief in 33 games. The following season, he was a starter in 11 games and a reliever in 28 games. He finished the 1935 season with 7 wins and 11 losses, 6 saves, and a 3.40 ERA. In his last season with the Pirates, he had a 7-5 win-loss record and a 2.70 ERA in 9 games as a starter and 13 games out of the bullpen.
Return to the Brooklyn Dodgers
The Pirates traded Hoyt to the Dodgers on June 12, 1937. That season he had 8 wins and 9 losses, 2 saves, 65 strikeouts to 36 walks, and a 3.42 ERA in 11 games with Pittsburgh and 27 games with the Dodgers. He pitched just 16.1 innings in 6 games in 1938, before being released on May 15th.
Career Statistics
Career pitching statistics for Hoyt include:
- 674 games played
- 3,762.1 innings pitched
- 237-182 win-loss record
- 1,206 strikeouts to 1,003 walks
- 3.59 ERA
Career postseason statistics for Hoyt include:
- 12 games played
- 83.0 innings pitched
- 6-4 win-loss record
- 49 strikeouts to 22 walks
- 1.84 ERA
Post Playing Years
After retiring as a player, Hoyt had a long career as a broadcaster. He started broadcasting in 1940 for the Dodgers, but in 1942, left that position to become the broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds, a position he held until 1965. In 1961, he was a broadcaster for the World Series on NBC.
In addition to being an accomplished pitcher and broadcaster, Hoyt had other talents. He was an accomplished artist, writer, semi-pro basketball player, and performer who appeared in vaudeville shows.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Waite Hoyt
ESPN - Waite Hoyt
Baseball Reference - Waite Hoyt